Everyone knows how annoying group projects can be, especially you’re stuck working with someone who isn’t doing their fair share of work. But even if all team members are committed to working hard and seeing a project through, working collaboratively can lead to miscommunication and dealing with different personality types.

So, what’s the best way to nip these problems in the bud before you begin a project that requires a lot of teamwork? For one, ensure you’ve assigned clear roles. Probably the biggest mistake that teams make is that they do not assign clear roles and responsibilities to all team members.

With any project, there needs to be a team lead and a project manager. The team lead is responsible for ensuring that everyone has an assignment and that the team is aligned on the goal of the project and the way that success will be evaluated. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that team members meet key deadlines and that resources are available so people can complete tasks.

Everyone else on the team needs to have clear roles related to specific aspects of the project. They should know what is expected of them, and when they are supposed to complete elements of the project in order to keep things on track.